St. Boniface and Catholicism in Germany - 1674 Words

Prior to the work of St. Boniface in central Germany from 716 to 754 A.D., the local Hessian and Thuringian people worshiped pagan gods and honored living things essential to daily life, such as the oak trees of the surrounding forests, which provided everything from building materials to nuts for food. Though Christianity had been introduced to this area, the current practice was actually heresy because people practiced a blend of Christian and pagan beliefs and rituals. St. Boniface not only returned Catholicism to Germany, but kept heresy, the Church’s main challenge during this time period, out of central Germany. St. Boniface’s goal was to expand the Catholic Church in Germany, making certain that that the political authorities were firmly committed to Christianity. He went further, and was not only Pope Gregory’s missionary to Germany, but also purified the faith of the people, removing the culturally ingrained practices of paganism. During this time peri od, some Germans didnt fully understand Christianity, and although many in Upper Hesse converted, they still practiced their old pagan rituals. St. Boniface built schools and seminaries in Upper Hesse. The area fully converted to Catholicism thanks to the teachings of faithful priests and teachers who were brought in by Boniface to teach the full truth of the Catholic Church without aspects of the old pagan beliefs or rituals included. The eighth-century Germans used gods to explain the different things in